


sign of the times

by blkvelvets



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, F/F, F/M, cheronica endgame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-10-25 09:27:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10761417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blkvelvets/pseuds/blkvelvets
Summary: It’s August when she watches the love of her life die before her eyes.It’s January when Cheryl learns how to breathe again.





	1. welcome to the final show

Archie Andrews is the only person - aside from Jason, who has to come because it’s technically his party too - who comes to Cheryl’s 10th birthday party.

He brings her a flower crown. It doesn’t fit quite right, and some of the petals are barely clinging on to their stems, but Cheryl wears it proudly anyway. The flowers weave through her red hair (“Just like mine!” Archie boasts) and entangle themselves in her roots, and she refuses to take it off until her mother forces her to after she comes back from her business trip. 

They grow up, as they always do, but Cheryl never forgets the flower crown. They grow up, and birthday parties turn into first dates and flower crowns turn into chaste kisses on doorsteps. Jason is still always lurking, just like he was at that fateful birthday party, but who can blame him for looking out for his little sister. (“Only by two minutes, loser,” Cheryl couldn’t stand him.) 

She never forgets the flower crown, and she never forgets the day the black tally mark appeared on her wrist. 

Archie takes Cheryl to an ice rink for their fourth date. Cheryl comes prepared to amaze Archie with her incredible skating skills, but, surprisingly, Archie is the one who sweeps Cheryl off her feet instead - literally. Archie is, incredibly, a natural at ice skating. 

“I never knew you were so talented,” Cheryl laughs after Archie shows off a particularly complicated jump.

“I actually took lessons when I was younger,” Archie admits, running a hand through his hair sheepishly. “I wanted to be in the Olympics one day.”

“Really? What happened?”

“Music called to me,” he shrugs, recalling late night practice sessions and fingers rubbed raw from hours of playing. “It’s my life passion - I don’t know anything except it.”

He grabs her hand and laces their fingers together, and when Cheryl looks down she sees two black tally marks - one on Archie’s wrist, and the other on her own. 

After Archie drops her off at her house, she goes to her room and cries. She cries for an hour straight, and she’s not sure why. She’s happy, she’s in love, she’s never felt better. And yet, she cries, because she doesn’t know how Archie Andrews could ever love her. But, somehow, he does - somehow, her fiery demeanor hasn’t burned him yet. 

The tally mark burns against her skin. It contrasts loudly with her pale wrist and contradicts everything she has ever known. Her parents have always told her that she would never be loved - that she would never have the tally marks that decorated Jason’s skin. And of course she believed them. They were her parents, after all, even though they didn’t have any tally marks of their own. But their words crashed against Archie’s - Archie Andrews, all dumb jokes and soft glances and arms hard and strong from football practice. Archie Andrews, who saw her as she really was, not the cold image she had projected for so many years. Archie Andrews, who was with her from the very beginning.

Her parents find out (of course they do) and they forbid Cheryl from seeing Archie again. But that doesn’t stop her - she’s long since decided to stop letting her parents drag her down. She’s happy, and there’s nothing they can do about it. They go to the movies and throw popcorn into each other’s mouths, they ditch biology and sit in Archie’s car and make out, they play pranks on Betty Cooper and climb through windows to see each other. Cheryl feels a little bit like she is dreaming - like her entire junior year has just been her and Archie, side by side, living in a teen movie from the 80s. She carries the feeling with her all the way to the summer, all the way to her and Archie’s first anniversary, and she never wants to wake up.

It’s August when she wakes up and is dragged back to the harsh realities of her life. It’s August when she gets the phone call from Fred Andrews. It’s August when she races to the hospital, barely able to see the road in front of her through her tears. It’s August when she holds Archie’s barely warm hand in hers. It’s August when she watches the love of her life die before her eyes. It's August when her black tally mark turns into a scar.

It’s January when Cheryl learns how to breathe again.


	2. but you ain't really good

Veronica Lodge is a very unlucky girl.

She does have a bit of a reputation around the city. She is, after all, the girl with the sixteen red tally marks. Sixteen tally marks with a tear rolling down her porcelain cheek for each one. They are branded onto her, and no matter how hard she tries to hide them, it feels like everybody knows. She sees the way they look at her - the girl with sixteen red tally marks, the girl who is incapable of being loved.

Each mark has a name. The first one, etched onto her when she was only thirteen years old, is from a old childhood friend. His name was Reggie Mantle - he used to look at her like she was the sun, but now the only time she catches him staring is when he’s wearing a look of disgust. The second one? Her name was Josie McCoy, her best friend before she moved away. When Veronica left their city, she left Josie behind too.

Years pass, but eventually, she returns. She’s seventeen when she comes back, seventeen years old with her sixteen red tallies. She puts on a brave face at school, but it’s all a facade - the real Veronica Lodge is the one that cries in her mother’s arms for hours, sobbing because she’s the only one her age with that many red tally mark. She is an embarrassment - no one will say it to her face, but she knows it’s the truth. Her parents reassure her, as they always do, but their words don’t mean anything to Veronica. They aren’t the ones with red tally marks, after all.

She isolates herself. Her only friend - if you could even call him that - is Kevin Keller, another junior who doesn’t seem to care what others think of him (she wishes she could say the same). She separates herself from everyone else at that godforsaken high school, and she prays that her father will be redeployed somewhere far away. She dreams of Rome - of finally being free from the judgmental stares and the loud whispers. Veronica is the outcast of Riverdale High, but she doesn’t mind too much. The Lodges never stay in the same place for too long.

She is, understandably, very confused when she is invited to Archie Andrews’ funeral. 

Veronica Lodge was never friends with Archie Andrews. She vaguely remembers him from when she was younger - he was the redhead that hung out with Reggie, sometimes. He never paid her any mind, though, and she had done the same with him. She didn’t even know that he had died. 

She puts the invitation on the table by the front door, and promptly forgets about it.

~

Veronica Lodge isn’t quite sure why she’s allowed Kevin to drag her to this event. She’s sitting alone - Kevin has ditched her in favor of his boyfriend of the month - drowning in a black sea of people sobbing over a boy they never knew.

On the bright side, people are too concerned with mourning Archie to pay any attention to her. So, she sits back, and observes. It’s what she does best.

She watches as people go up to a redheaded couple that she assumes are Archie’s parents. They offer their condolences and speak in hushed tones, and for the first time since Veronica’s arrived at the funeral, she feels something tugging at her heartstrings. 

Archie Andrews was loved. He was loved by so many people - even the people in the room that had only interacted with him once or twice. He was loved, and that’s what really gets to Veronica - she knows that she won’t ever be loved the same way. The tallies up and down her arm are proof enough.

~

She’s leaving the funeral when she sees Cheryl Blossom for the first time.

Veronica Lodge has definitely heard about the Blossom twins. She’s had her fair share of interactions with Jason, but never with Cheryl. Cheryl was the fiery one of the bunch - a little too intimidating, even for Veronica. But now, Cheryl, the untouchable queen of Riverdale, was breaking down in a corner.   
Veronica lingers for a second too long, and Cheryl’s head snaps up and glares right at her. (She has an icy glare, Veronica notes. It’s the kind that pierces right through somebody. She wouldn’t be surprised if Cheryl was looking straight to her soul). Her mascara is running, her eyes are puffy from crying, and for just a split second, she looks just like the monster she’s rumored to be. 

“What are you looking at?” Cheryl growls, and Veronica instantly regrets ever showing her face at the funeral. 

“I was just leaving,” Veronica mumbles, reaching for the handle to leave the church and never look back. 

“No- wait,” Cheryl stumbles over her words and reaches out to grab Veronica’s shoulder. Her chest is still heaving with silent sobs and her hand is shaking, but she manages to stop the stranger in her tracks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. Archie would hate it if I was being a bitch to everybody on a day like this.”

Cheryl laughs at that, a short, melodic, bittersweet laugh. Veronica finds herself wondering how exactly the two were related - she never really saw them around together. Then again, it’s not like she paid any attention.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before,” Cheryl says, trying her best to seem collected and composed. She needs to keep it together - not just for her, but for Archie’s sake. “How did you know him?”

“I guess I’m what you’d call a military brat.” Veronica explains, casually moving her arms behind her back so that her marks couldn’t be seen by the other girl. She’s surprised Cheryl hasn’t heard anything about her before - everyone else in Riverdale seems to have an opinion on her, after all. “My dad was stationed here when I was younger. I had the chance to be acquainted with Archie back then.” 

“Oh,” Cheryl says, wiping the tears from her eyes and giving the girl a shaky smile. “Cheryl Blossom. Archie’s girlfriend. It’s nice to meet you..?” 

“Veronica. Veronica Lodge.”

~

Looking back on it, going to Archie Andrews’ funeral was one of Veronica’s biggest mistakes. 

After all, if it weren’t for that day, Veronica would never have gotten red tally mark number 17: Cheryl Blossom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally getting some cheronica up in this bitch.
> 
> tumblr: @vxronicablossom


	3. we gotta get away from here

Veronica Lodge never expected to see this side of Cheryl Blossom. Cheryl Blossom, known for her scathing remarks and fiery attitude, was, frankly, the most intimidating person Veronica has ever met (probably one of the prettiest too, if Veronica was to be honest with herself). That’s saying something, considering Veronica has grown up surrounded by strict military folks who would never hesitate to dole out punishment if they had even suspected her of breaking the rules. 

Cheryl Blossom scares her much more than her father ever did. Cheryl, the girl who lost everything. Cheryl, the girl who is just as fragile as anyone else. Cheryl, the girl who has the power to completely shatter Veronica’s heart. Cheryl, who is so unmistakably cruel, but so paradoxically sweet.

It’s confusing, to say the least. Cheryl should be hurling insults and pushing her around and tearing her down with only her words - that’s how she treats everyone else, after all. But when it comes to Veronica, Cheryl is different. 

Maybe it’s wishful thinking. It wouldn’t be the first time Veronica has convinced herself of hidden feelings that were never actually there. 

But Cheryl holds her tight, and she thinks she’s never wanted to be right more.

~

“I don’t understand why you cover them up,” Cheryl murmurs, fingers dancing on the marks that tarnish Veronica’s arms. 

They’re laying on Veronica’s bed, on a well-deserved break from a study session. Veronica’s laying on her back, counting her breaths and trying not to appear too flustered with Cheryl’s hands on her skin. She can almost feel her skin lighting up from the older girl’s touch - how embarrassing. 

“You know what the kids at school say,” Veronica groans, tilting her head away from Cheryl in the hopes that she won’t see the blush growing across her face. “I hate them.”

“The tally marks or the kids?”

“Both.” 

“Jason’s like you too, you know.”

Veronica sits up right away, mouth hanging open in disbelief. There’s no way Jason Blossom - _the_ Jason Blossom - has red tally marks like she does. She is the one who is unlovable, not Jason.

“How many?” She asks, curiosity lighting up her eyes. Maybe this is why Cheryl is friends with her. Maybe this is why Cheryl doesn’t see her as a freak.

“Twelve,” Cheryl responds, sighing wistfully as she thinks about her brother and all the marks that forever burden him. He’s just like Veronica - scared and too bold to admit it. She hates it, hates the way that they think less of themselves just because of a few red tally marks. 

Veronica visually deflates, sinking back down into her bed. A tiny, twisted part of her had hoped that maybe Jason would have more than her - maybe Riverdale’s golden boy had managed to out-failure her. “I would trade with anyone if it meant getting rid of mine,” she croaks, trying to block out the wave of emotion threatening to take over her voice.

“No you wouldn’t.”

“I mean it.”

“You wouldn’t,” Cheryl says, forcefully this time, and now it’s her turn to try and sound like she’s not on the brink of tears. “Not if it meant losing someone you love.” 

Veronica wants to slap herself, she can’t believe how stupid she was. Cheryl doesn’t deserve all of her complaints - she knows Cheryl would take her seventeen red tallymarks over her one scar without hesitation. 

“I’m sorry,” Veronica croaks, turning back to Cheryl and wrapping her arms around her, bringing her into a tight embrace. “That was stupid of me.”

“I would fall in love with him seventeen times if it meant still having him on this earth,” Cheryl mumbles into Veronica’s warm neck. “Even if he didn’t look at me once. It would be okay because I would be able to look at him.”

They sit like that for what feels like hours, Veronica rubbing comforting circles into the back of Cheryl’s cashmere sweater, and Cheryl crying old memories into Veronica’s neck.

~

“I can’t believe you fell in love with a girl with a dead boyfriend,” Kevin comments brassily, sipping from his vanilla milkshake. They’re sitting in Pop’s, unwinding from a long day of school.

Veronica likes it here. Cheryl always brings her after cheer practice. 

Her strawberry milkshake would taste a lot better if she was sharing it with Cheryl, though.

“Shut up,” Veronica hisses, kicking her best friend under the table. The last thing she needs is someone from school hearing. There’s only so much teasing she can endure - the flack she gets for her tally marks is already enough. 

“What? It’s not like he’s around to hear-“

“Kevin!” Veronica nearly screams, wide-eyed in horror. She loves him, she really does, who else would be there for her when she’s on the brink of a Cheryl-related meltdown, but sometimes she just wants to leave him in Sweetwater River for good. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

“Sorry!” Kevin says, raising his arms in mock surrender. “It’s true, though. It’s not like you have competition.”

“You’re making me sick,” Veronica rolls her eyes and takes another sip of her milkshake (Nope, still not as good as it is with Cheryl). “Anyway, I’m not in love with her.” The mark on her wrist burns at that, taunting Veronica. _Liar, liar, liar,_ it says, mocking her with her own secret.

“I literally caught you googling _‘Help I’m in love with my best friend who’s also a widow’_ yesterday, but keep lying, Ronnie,” Kevin’s smirk quickly fades, only to be replaced with pain when Veronica kicks him again. “Stop doing that!”

“You’re incorrigible.”

“Do you think she has feelings for you?”

“Are you kidding? Her boyfriend just died!”

“True love waits for no one,” Kevin points out, smiling at how Veronica grimaces at his words.

“You’re so cheesy, Kev,” she rolls her eyes - she seems to do that a lot around Kevin.

“Well, it’s not black, is it?” Kevin asks, nodding at the red mark on Veronica’s wrist.

She rubs at it out of habit, wishing so hard that she could somehow rub it right off her skin. She used to try it, when she was younger and more afraid. It never worked. “Geez, Kev, can’t a girl dream?”

“I just don’t want to see your heart broken.”

“I’ve had a lot of practice. You don’t need to worry.”

~

Cheryl loves routines.

Ever since _he died_ , she’s been relying a lot on routines. Routines stay the same. They don’t change, they don’t age, they don’t die on you, not even when they get hit by cars.

She likes her nightly routine the best. Slip into silk pajamas, take off her makeup, put on that dumb anti-aging cream that her mom makes her wear. (“It’ll keep your face fresh, my dear. Boys like fresh faces.” Cheryl doesn’t bother pointing out that the only boy she wants is buried six feet under.) Lay in bed, turn off her phone (She turned it off before the funeral, sick of all the _I’m sorry for your loss_ es from people she never knew. She turned it back on when she met Veronica), wait for sleep to take over.

She dreams of dark hair and bitter remarks and the girl with seventeen red tally marks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took ages, i'm sorry. things got a little overwhelming in my personal life but i've finally regained motivation! 
> 
> tumblr: @vxronicablossom


End file.
